Sanitary doorknob



Nbv. z5, 1930. B POLCARI 1,783,097

SANITARY DOORKNOB Filed Nov. l11, 1929 [NVEN TOR.

atz'lz'o Polaca/' i ATTRNEY.

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Patented Nev. 25, 1930 i Y BAsiLio romeni; or soMEnvrLLn, Massacnusnrrs sanrrnny noonKNoB Application sied `Nwennier 11, 19,29.` seriaifnoQioees.

`My invention relates to sanitary devices, and more particularly to sanitary door knobs.

` The human hand is open to attack by a number of diseases, and some of'th'ese diseases 5 are contagious, so that persons havino any of them taking hold of a door knob may: leave 15 sons having contagious diseases in their hands take hold of door knobs, the disease germs areleft there in position tobe taken up bythe hand of thenext person Who comes and takes hold of the knob. vAnd thus disease is spread. The person Who brings the germs may i have a.. sound hand,`\vith the skin'runbroken anywhere, so that he Will be unconscious of having been the carrier of dangerous germs; but-the next person Who comes and takes hold 25 of the `knob may be a person Who is specially liable to infection by the kind of germsleft on that door knob bythe previous cailer. It has often happened that contagious diseases have been lmysteriously spread, ,doubtless by persons -Who did not know that they them-` selves Were the real carrierslandfdistributors of the diseases. The present invention proposes to prevent medium `of containinated doorknobs.V

Myv object isfto provide'a door knob coni lstrncted tof'carry a disinfectant inside ofit, and so arranged thatthe disinfectant can Y gradually pass out thronghthe knobftothe outer surface thereofdistributing itself over saidsurface, andfespecially those parts of the surface which most commonly con'iefin knob. Y

vice that Water filtering through the` perforations therein during a storm vvill not be infectant carried Within the knob;

i the spread of contagious diseases through the" contact` with the han d thatpulls'or turns the,

A further object is to so construct the de-l permitted tocome intocontact Withfthe dis!l y n Y The broad principle` in vievv at this point' Other objects Will appear ,inthe subjoined description. w H ,Y

. A leading feature-,of the invention consists of a'hollovv door-knob carrying a disinfectant inside ofit, and having perforations distributed over its shellfor the escapeof ininute portions of the disinfectant from the inside surface ofthe-.knob to the outsidesur-` face thereof. I

Another important feature consists of an arrangement inside the knobfor holding a portion, at least, of the disinfectant central of the knob and protected from possible contact With Water filtering into the iknob through its yperforations, during times 4 of i storm.

v The inventionconsists in certain novel features `of construction and arrangement of parts, as Will be hereinafter described Vand claimed, reference being had to the accom-V panyingdrawings, invvhich Fig. l isa top plan view of my improved door knob.` Fig 2 is a bottom-plan view thereof.v Fig. Sis an eievationalview of the outer end of the knob; and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through the 7 knob. y Y i The knob may be made `of any desiredina-` terial, but brass is usually employed. It .has the usual` hollow portion l, provided With the integral shank or neck 2. The main portion l of the knob isprovided With a plurality of small bores or openings 3a, 3b, 3C, and 3d, dis'-` `tributed over it in any desired or `preferred manner, asWill be more fully pointed` out hereafter. I i i y `The collar 2 ofthe knob is provided With the usual square opening 4 for the reception f of the square bolt 5 `which passes through the same, and is securedtherein in the usual manner by the screw 6. p L y l The squarebolt 3 differs frointhe ordinary y boltin one respect, `namely;`pthat.its inner end extends inwardly through "the @main body portion ofthe knob. nearly, butnot quite, to theend-Wall of the knob;` and this inwardly projecting portion]` 5a of the square bolt hasa central bore 7 extending Vinwardly from theA end :thereof for ag purpose presently to be explained.

is to introduce a disinfectant into the knob through the collar-opening which disinfectant will'` gradually work out through the perforations 3, and become diffused over the outer surface of the knob, and also spread on that surface by the hand of the operator.

This disinfectant is made preferably in the form of round balls or pills 8 as indicated in Fig. 4 of the drawings. These balls or pills roll and tumble around inside the knob as it is rotated, so that the disinfectant is applied to the inner surface of the knob, and passes out through the perforations 3, and `-qneads from them over the outer surface. The outer ends of these openings are flared as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, of the drawings, in order to increase the area of the ends of the openings coming into contact with the hands that take hold of the knob, and also to impart to the disinfectant a lateral turn as 'it escapes from the perforations.

These perforations may be distributed over the knob in my desired manner. in the drawings, have shown the upper side of the knob provided with three perforations indicated by 3 and 3b (see Fig. l), and the under side provided with the openings 3C and 3d (see Fig. Q).

lll/*hen a person takes hold of the knob, the end of the thumb will naturally cover the perforation 3a, while the ball of the thumb will cover the openings 8b. The foreiinger coming under the knob will naturally cov-er the perforations 8, and the second or middle finger will cover the perfor-ations 3d. The thumb and lingers in grasping the knob in this way will get some of the disinfectant on them, and they will spread it over the outer surface of the knob all around the perforations and between them. And again when the knob is brightened up by the housekeeper, the disinfectant coming ont through the perforations will be aught and applied all over the outer surface of the knob as it is being polished.

The balls or pills of the disinfectant are also placed in the end bore 7 of the square bolt as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. This arrangement is specially desirable when the knob is placed on the Windward side of a house where the rains and storms beat upon it, causing water to percolate through the perforations to the inside of the knob where it might unduly act upon and dissolve the balls of disinfectant. It will be seen that however much the rain may percolate through the knob it cannot touch the balls in the bore 7, but since the inner end of the square bolt 5 is slightly spaced from the wall of the knob, as indicated at 9 in Fig. 4, sufhcient air will reach the balls within the bore 7 to gradually volatilize the balls, thus permitting their substance to imperceptibly pass out first through the narrow space 9, and afterwards through the perforations 3a, 3b etc.

rthe disinfecting balls shown in Fig. 4 outside the bore 7 may be omitted and only those shown in the bore '7 employed, or vice versa, as the need of the case in hand, or the preference of the user, may dictate.

From the foregoing, the operation of my device is fully apparent. It only remains to be said that when the disinfectant balls inside the knob have become exhausted, it is only necessary to unscrew the screw and withdraw the square bolt 5, in order to recharge the device, as Yat first.

Having now described the principles of my invention and shown one practical embodiment thereof, yet do not wish to be coniined to the exact showing made, but desire protection on all that comes clearly within the spirit and scope of my invention.

What l claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A hollow door knob having openings leading from the outer surface of the knob to the interior thereof; a knob bolt eXtending into the knob through the neck thereof and projecting from the neck inwardly into the main body of the knob, said inwardly projecting portion of the bolt having a longitudinal recess extending inwardly from the end thereof; and a disinfectant in lump form carried in said recess, the opening in the end of the bolt leading into said recess being partially closed to prevent the escape of the disinfectant in bulk from said opening in the bolt, but left sufiiciently open to permit the access of air thereto, whereby to volatilize the disinfectant and cause its gradual escape from the knob through the openings therein.

Q. A hollow door knob having openings leading from the outer surface of the knob to the interior thereof; a knob bolt extending into the knob through the neck thereof and projecting from the neck inwardly into the main body of the knob and terminating at a point slightly spaced from the end wall of the knob, said inwardlyprojecting portion of the bolt having a longitudinal opening leading inwardly from the end thereof; and a disinfectant carried in said opening: whereby the disinfectant may be attacked by the air entering at the end of said opening, but will be held against escape in bulk therefrom by the near proximity of the inner end of the bolt to the end wall of the knob.

In testimony whereof l affix my signature.

BASILIO POLCARI. 

